Hi, my name is Fibromyalgia, and I’m an invisible chronic illness! I am now stuck to you for life, can you believe it? Others around you can't see me, or feel me, but you can. I can attack you whenever - and wherever - I so choose to. I'll cause anything from severe pain that means you can't even lie in your bed, to just a 'mild' ache all over, depends on if I feel nice or not.

Get this, I come with friends too! I've replaced that pesky friend Energy, and replaced it with Exhaustion, the days of a restful nights sleep are loooong gone. There's also Fibro Fog, they'll make you forget all kinds of things, including that promise you made to your friend you've already cancelled on half a dozen times... Yeah, don't expect a Christmas card from them any more. Not to forget the hot and cold flushes that will cause getting ready (if you've managed to pry yourself from your bed) a nightmare! I'll also make you tremble internally, and just as an added bonus, I'll throw in some anxiety and depression too. I'll put a damper on any 'good' day you can possibly have!

Now, I know you didn't ask for me, but I chose you! I chose you because maybe you didn't recover from that virus you once had, or that car accident you were in, maybe it's because you had a child, lost someone you loved, or even because you went through years of trauma and abuse, no one knows, but I'm here to stay! If you think that doctor you've been to see will be able to shift me, you've got another thing coming my friend. You'll have to see many doctors, most that wont take you seriously, until you finally find one that may just help. You'll be given pain pills, sleeping pills, energy pills, vitamins, anti-depressants, that's IF you manage to find a doctor that's willing to help you and your invisible friend. You'll be fobbed off, told it's anxiety, depression, you may be lucky to receive a TENS machine, although that won't always help, you'll be told I'll ease up if you exercise and sleep properly... Don't believe them! You'll be told if you think positively and not stress about things, it'll help. You'll be poked and probed, you'll probably have to undergo a dozen blood tests because I can cause vitamin deficiencies as well.

One thing to remember is, no matter how many times you cry to your doctor, trying to get them to understand just how useless you feel, how isolated I've made you, they won't take you seriously! Everyone will get sick of hearing you whinge and moan, no one wants to hear someone moan every single day about the same thing - they'll start to think I'm made up if you do. Some will listen once and tell you it's a "bad day", they'll tell you no one is as healthy now as you were 10 years ago - not listening to the fact you may have said 10 months, weeks, or even days ago. They may start moaning about you behind your back, then you'll slowly start to realise, you and I, we're stuck together and you're pretty much on your own now, well, unless you join the support pages for other's with Fibromyalgia. They'll be the only people that truly understand what you're saying and what you're going through, they'll understand how I've caused you to suffer with unrelenting pain, insomnia, fibro fog, and not forgetting the inability to perform everyday tasks 'normal' people take for granted, and you did too, before I came along.

Remember, I’m stuck to you like glue – and I expect we’ll be together for the rest of your life, I'll be sure to make myself extra comfy.

Not my own originally, was sent to me by a friend via facebook, I just edited to make it more relate-able to me.

I want to cry, I have just sent that on to my fiance and just asked him to read it. Why is it so hard to get people to understand how this feels and how low you can get. I feel like i am always being a burden to my future husband. I am so snappy because I am struggling to understand this curse, so how can i expect him to understand it. My back feels like it is breaking, my body is dragging behind. I have nobody to really talk to, all my work colleagues are just aquaintences, my fybro fog is making me scream, i couldn't even open a bottle of coke yesterday. i push myself so people dont see me breaking. i get married in 3 months, wouldnt it be nice to be pain free just for that one day??

WeeDonk; It is hard to show and explain without feeling even more of a burden but you have to remember that the people that stay in your life, regardless of your endless bad days, and snappiness, they love you enough to want you to unburden yourself of your problems and let them all out. I hope your wedding was as pain free as it can get without taking too many painkillers. And congratulations! X